Fate, Up against your Will
by Serias
Summary: Elle Bishop was free. And not a soul in the world beyond herself likely cared. Syelle, Sylar/Elle
1. Prologue

Fate, Up against your Will

_Prologue_

Arthur Petrelli was a villainous mad man. That much she knew. He had also saved her life, but only for his own selfish course, a guinea pig to test what kind of effect the formula had on those who already had abilities. Maybe that was why she was brought into this world, for others to manipulate, test on, and treat as nothing more than a lab rat. There was little more than charred remains when he found her, but the regenerative capability managed to work and within moments she was healed. What Arthur did not count on was the full impact the regeneration would have on her. Both her mind and body had been reset, healed to the point they were completely brand new.

She remembered everything.

Maybe that was why she had resigned herself to this fate, she hadn't fought or tried to escape. What would the point be? Her father was dead, the man she had fallen for successfully murdered her, her life was gone. Mohinder had sent one of the hired techs to administer the dose of the newly catalysted formula, no doubt they were all injecting the troops she had heard so much about. Dr. Suresh was not the best at keeping his mouth shut around her, the playfulness that had always came across before as psychotic, settled into something a bit more charismatic when her mind wasn't as fractured.

It seemed it was just in her nature to play the agent, to delve for information and know her surroundings. The Tech had barely finished the injection when they heard something above them, some sort of scuffle the lab Mohinder was working out of. She should have anticipated this, it seemed every time something climatic was about to happen, the opposing side would rise up to stop those against them. Sighing her head fell back against the pillow,and she flexed against the restraints.

This wouldn't end well. She had to get out.

She could only hope there was enough of Arthur's blood still in her veins to pull this off, she clutched her fists and let her own lightening course through her, Until there was an explosion akin to the one that had occurred when Sylar had cut into her forehead the first time. But this instance was inherently different for the fact she had not passed out, the tremors that Sylar had left in his wake, the way her power had constantly overloaded had all but prepared her for this moment.

The pain was unavoidable, and her head pounded, but the need for survival was much greater than the drumming ache in her skull. Draping her legs over the side of the hospital bed, she pushed off until she landed on her feet. She climbed the stairs, finding no one in the lobby that lead to the lab. A part of her thought of going in there, and making sure Mohinder had made it out safe, he had always seemed to be kind to her. But he had made no cry of indignation when Arthur wanted to use her for their research, his selfish need to cure his ailment taking precedence over whatever effect it might have on her. Thus far, she felt no different.

And she did not plan to be a better person in this instance and turned on her heel to find the exit.

Within moments she was walking out of Pinehearst with no one to stop her, within minutes of that the place was going up in flames behind her. She looked at the building, the her mind couldn't help but wonder if that's what she looked like when her own form was on fire, billowing and brilliant, utter beauty in complete destruction.

Elle Bishop was free.

And not a soul in the world beyond herself likely cared.


	2. Too Late to Beg

_A/N – I make a move with Elle in this chapter you're either going to love or hate, I'd venture. Either way, I'd hope you'll continue to give me and this story a chance, thanks. I'll probably put in the Author's note in the next chapter, why I did it. -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 1_

_The faces all around me, they don't smile they just crack._

_Waiting for our ship to come, but our ships not coming back._

_We do our time like pennies in a jar, what are we saving for?_

_-The Bravery_

So where does one turn when they have no where else to go? When their malnourished body is dressed in little more than hospital scrubs? Someone would not doubt think her a mental patient, she chuckled at the irony, since the guess would not have been that far off before. The word's of Lewis Carroll's classic story of wonderment echoed in her mind, the Cheshire Cat all but taunts Alice in her confusion when she asks him what road she should take, "Well that depends on where you want to get to. ". Elle let out a sigh, looking at the freeway before her, then glance back at the frontage road that ran along side it. "Oh, it really doesn't matter, as long as... " She spoke aloud, feeling quite defeated at this point.

"Then it really doesn't matter which way you go, mate." She stopped in her tracks when she heard the voice behind her, suddenly thinking that maybe the formula had induced hallucinations. Spinning to face the source, she saw nothing but a creepy smile hanging in the air. "Claude?" Her brow furrowed as she exclaimed the name of the closest thing she had ever had to a mentor. "Trust me, deary, the irony of this situation isn't lost on me." He said to her, as he came into full appearance before her. "You're a little sick, you know that?" She couldn't help but retort to him, before turned and continued on her way. "I'm the invisible man, love. Voyeurism is in the job description."

"Just leave me alone. Whatever you've come here for, you've come to the wrong person." Solitude, she suddenly desperately craved it, the need to be alone tugging at the very fabric of her being. Everyone she had ever loved had used her, lied to her, or betrayed her. What was the point in continuing to connect with other humans when all they did was screw you over? "Shite, you're feistier than I remember. And I wasn't comin' for anythin, I just figured you were the only one off all on your own. And since you're known to cause trouble a' sorts, figured it'd be best with a bit of guidance." She rolled her eyes, stopping suddenly to pivot to him. "No. You don't get to do this, not with me. I'm not some kid that needs you to show them the way, Claude. Nor am I any longer a victim, not of my father's, not of the scientists, not of...." Her voice trailed off, even if Claude knew about her recent death, she wasn't sure she had come to terms with it yet. "I remember it. I remember what they did to me, and I'm just lucky I do. Otherwise I'd probably still be as cracked as the rest of you."

A hand flew up in dismissal, and she turned to continue to head down the street that probably led no where. She thought he would likely give up at this point, Claude wasn't exactly the hug it out and make everything better type. "So, If I'm the Cheshire cat to you in this lost little world a' yours, I'm guessin' that would make Angela Petrelli the Queen a' Hearts. Bennet's got the glasses to be the White Rabbit, and he's certainly apt to be her lil' lap dog. Quite an adventure you're set upon if you're out to get the both of those lot." She wondered if she concentrated hard enough, she might be able to tune him out, or at least reduce his words to nothing more than a "wah wah wah" sound, like one of the teachers on those Peanuts cartoons. She decided to correct him, in his ideas of her intent. "I'm not going after anyone. Gabriel...Sylar killed me. Angela threw me out on the streets. Bennet coerced me into making the monster that led to my death. My father, well, he wasn't much of a father at all. Hell, even you let me leave even when you knew full well I needed your help. But alls well that ends well, right? I'm alive, there's a bright side."

Her tone probably held a bitterness he had never heard from her, Elle had never truly spoken ill of her father. The contrast between him and Noah had been drawn by more than one person, figuring them for opposites, one doing anything to protect his daughter from being a freak show, and the other lending himself to the treatment. Elle did not see them as opposites. They both lied, neglected, and put there own selfish needs above those of their offspring. They weren't all that different. The passion that had filled her voice moments before faded, and her eyes fell to the pavement. "I don't want revenge, or justice, or any of it. It's a cycle that never ends. I want it to stop? It ends with me." Her mind wavered back to thoughts of Gabriel, how he had said people never really changed. He was wrong, and she was going to prove it. Maybe he couldn't change, maybe he couldn't stop himself from extracting so-called justice upon those he thought had wronged him. She could.

Claude must have noticed that she was lost in thought, and he was percept enough to know where her mind had headed. "He killed Arthur. Then I followed him to Primatech, no doubt to play with the Queen herself. I doubled back after that, not one to get caught up in the little games that lot likes to play with each other." Elle wasn't sure how to feel about the news, a numbness rising in her, as if to stand against whatever emotions or latent feelings that might still be felt for him. "He's got what he wants. The truth." She shrugged and made the conscious decision to continue her walk, realizing now it had a direction. She needed to put some space between herself and the man she...loved, hated, adored, despised. The man who caused her fists to clench, and bile to rise in her throat. The man she still fantasized about hovering above her, claiming her for his own in the most primal way possible. There was no separating it anymore, there was no Gabriel Gray, the timid and almost geeky watch maker, or Sylar, the vicious serial killer who let his hunger loose on all those around him. She reconciled the two, for realistically they were the same person. Duel facets of a single personality.

"Oh and Nathan Petrelli is plannin' on meetin' with the president and huntin' us all down like dogs. Not sure I have it completely sussed out yet, but I'm bettin' that would mean bad things for you. More cages. More cells. Looks like you're chasin' a very illusive sense of freedom, Alice." He had caught up to her, walking stride to stride at her side. She was still unsure of his intent, her face a mask of steel as he spoke. "All I can do is electrocute people, Claude....If you're expecting me to rally to your cause, and help you stop him from hunting us, you've for the wrong girl. I'm nobody special."

Claude chuckled and shook his head, "Considering the fact that the moment I mentioned Sylar, you faded from view...I'd fancy that you're quite a special gal, love. Arthur had you injected, didn't he?" She knew that he did not really require an answer to the question, so she didn't provide one. "Elle, what were you thinking when they gave you the formula? What did you want?" She sucked in a breath, pressing her eyes closed for a moment before shaking her head and looking at him. "I wanted to be equal, I wanted to be as powerful as someone like Peter, or Gabriel...And...And I didn't want to be a victim anymore. I wanted to fight...for myself." Claude actually smiled, which she hadn't expected. "Oh, this is gonna throw the world inta' a spin....Well, at least those two boys you mention, with all their broodin' and whinin' about their burdens. Angela'll toss a fit, I'd wager."

Elle's brow knit together once again, a common sign of her confusion. "That I'm free?" She had not completely understood his previous statement, and she knew that someone like Angela could care less if she were dead or alive. "You're not getting' it girly. When I said fade, I meant literally. I couldn't see you for a spot there." Her eyes widened, her hand rushing to her mouth and clasping over it. She had once heard a quote about what a person choosing never truly being what they needed. This was the last thing she needed. "No. You're lying, I can't...I can't do that. That's their power, they're two sides of the same coin. Good. Evil. Noble. Disgraceful. I'm not the one to upset that, I can't...I'm just me. I'm the screw up, the desperate little girl who tries so hard but never quite makes it...I'm not whatever that would make me. No."

Claude kept a knowing smirk on his lips, he had been an observer of this little game for far too long. He knew what she wanted didn't truly matter, all that did was what she was going to get. "I'm still fairly shocked you don't want to at least turn on heel and rub that in Angela's face, she was always a bit curt with ya." The deep breaths she was taking in hopes to steady herself were not working, and she had the feeling if she kept up with them, she'd end up hyperventilating. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach was becoming too much to bare, she turned to her side, hunching over on the side of the street as she emptied what little contents had been in her. For a moment she didn't move, just stood there, her hands on her knees, head dropped. Claude had been kind of enough to hold her hair back as she wretched, but it was a small nicety in the scheme of things.

Everything hurt. Her legs ached from all the walking. Her head pounded from all the tension Her stomach reeled from either nerves or some other reason she was unaware of. And her heart, that was where the worst pain of all lay, the pain she wasn't even sure she could fix. So what was she going to do? Was she going to keep walking, keep running from him and all the problems that came along with being a hero? Or face it all, and show them she was not a psycho, not a victim, not a stupid little girl?

The back of her hand came up to wipe her mouth, and she finally stood up straight.

"You better have some cash on you, because I'm not facing anyone in scrubs." She muttered to him, starting to walk in the way they had came. Claude just kept pace, a smug grin on his lips.


	3. The Killing Time

_A/N – Okay, in this chapter I'm going to play it off as if Elle was at Primatech for a few weeks, rather that a few days or less, if I stuck strictly to the show. Thought I'd warn you. Thank you so much for all the awesome reviews!!! -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 1_

_The Sea's wine red, this is the death of beauty._

_The doves have died, the lovers have lied._

They had gotten her a change of clothes, and at first she had gone straight for typical business look. It was only when Claude pointed out something more casual that she realized she did not have to dress that way. She only managed to make an hour or so before she felt nauseous again, and that was when she realized she had been feeling this way for a couple days, starting about a day after her arrival at Pinehearst. "We need to buy a pregnancy test."

Claude looked as if he may have heard her wrong, brows knitting together. "I think I'm pregnant, Claude." She stated, her voice calm and direct. "So, somewhere in between leaving Primatech, coming to London, then invading Bennet's house, and ending up at Pinehearst, you found time to shag a bloke?" Elle's jaw clenched tightly shut. Claude had been a psuedo father figure in the time she had known him, so it was hard for her to make the confession about the pregnancy, little less the identity of the father. She walked down the aisle, eying the little boxes and looking for the one she needed. "It was my first time...Gah, if you can't figure out the culprit, I'm not telling you."

"Shite..." He grabbed her wrist till she spun to face him, "Elle, it's not...His?" She sighed, not sure what else to do but shrug her shoulders in confirmation to his question. Her attention went back to the box, which she was buying more for confirmation of what she already thought was true. "I'll just...use the restroom on the way out, no point in wasting time." They paid for the few things they had picked out at the grocery store, and she made a B-line for the bathrooms just beyond the check stand. Something about this entire situation made her feel like a frightened teenager.

She did what she had to do, and waited. It seemed like an eternity passed before the small pink plus sign appeared, and when she saw it she pressed her eyelids shut, taking a hard swallow. Would he have killed her, had he known she was carrying his unborn child? It didn't matter anymore. She was not going to cry for a past that she could not change, all she could do was hope she could face the future. Tossing the test in the waste basket, she washed her hands and rejoined Claude outside. "What's the verdict, love?" He asked, surprisingly calm since she was carrying what some could consider to be the spawn of satan. "The Miracle of life. Exactly what I needed." She said, forcing a sarcastic smile, then allowing it to fade. No. She was not going to let this child be a negative, she was not going to let it think it was anything but exactly what she wanted. This was her baby.

"He can't find out Claude, who knows what he's capable of." The Englishman nodded his head in response. Claude stole a car, against her protest, and made a joke when he noticed a baby on board flag in the window of another car. "We should getcha one a' those." All she could do was roll her eyes at his increasingly unamusing humor. They had planned to go to Matt's apartment first, hoping that it would be the next central location the 'heroes' might head to now that Primatech had ended up ironically burnt to nothing, just like Pinehearst. The irony of it all was not lost on her.

"Ready to see the Queen of Hearts, Alice? Best you not be makin' her mad, she might....Well, she tends to manipulate better than anythin' else. So you maybe safe, for now." He had said when they reached the top of the stairs, and she put her hand to the door handle. It turned without resistance, and she pushed slowly, peering in side. She did not immediately note that the man standing inside with his back to her was too thin to be Matt, so she entered without hesitation. But when he turned to face her, her mind was flooded with memories, flashbacks, and fear. She could even hear the words echo through her head when she saw him on her father's computer monitor, his voice escaping her mouth like a curse word.

"You're dead." He all but growled at her, raising a hand to her eye level and starting to close his fist together. The door behind her slammed closed, and she could feel the invisible fingers on her neck, choking her. But Elle was a trained agent and she wasn't simply going to let him kill her again. She was not going down without a fight. Her own hand flew up mimicking his motion, shock filling his eyes as he began to gasp for air, relinquishing his hold on her as his concentration wavered. "I was. Your pretend father had other plans, even got me an upgrade."

He looked vicious, like an animal about to attack it's enemy. She knew that was what he saw her as, "I'll kill you again Elle. You're a monster....Like me." He echoed the words she had said to him in the cell, the night they had supposedly forgave each other. "You're wrong, Gabriel." She growled and advanced towards her, and she allowed his movement. "My name...is Sylar." She did not buckle as she looked down at her, towering over her smaller frame. "Your name...is irrelevant." Her hands went to his chest, fingers splaying against him and pushing him back from her. "I wanted to save you Gabriel, I told Bennet you could change, I didn't want to bring Trevor in and set you up. But I had no choice, it was either do that, or loose everything. My life. It was selfish of me, but what else could I do? I didn't know they weren't your parents, my father only gave me the information I needed on you...But you know what, that's fine. Kill me again, prove to the world you're the evil son of a bitch they think you are, kill the woman you love again."

The nasuea had set in again, and she clutched her stomach. Ahh, little one...couldn't you wait till mommy was done setting daddy straight. She knew that the morning sickness was a result of the chemicals in her body, and not directly the baby, but she couldn't help moan to her unborn child a little. She felt lucky he didn't take advantage of her weakened state, but was only able to retain the thought a moment before she dry heaved over a small waist basket a couple times, before once again vomiting. When it was over, she stood back up to face him, noting he hadn't moved an inch from where he had been before. "Is that the result of something Arthur did to you, or just nerves?.....Lover."

The word sounded like poison coming from his lips, and she scowled up at him, knowing she had to be strong...for herself, and for the child growing ever so slowly in her womb. "It's a flu bug, nothing more." Gabriel felt the tremor of the latest ability he had collected, the tickling feeling indicating to him of her fib. "You're lying, you're not sick...Tell me the truth! For once, tell me the fucking truth, Elle!" There was no show of pity or emotion, simply a steel mask of anger etched across her feminine features. "I'm pregnant, Gabriel"

She knew what impact those words would have on him, and she could see it in his eyes as something within him broke. Even he had a respect for children, they were unspoiled, untouched, unmanipulated. Many thought he had meant to kill Molly walker, but the reason she had survived in the first place was because death was not his intent for her. I wanted to keep her alive, to use as a guide to more power.

"Elle....I..." It didn't matter what he was going to say, what words he might use or the sentiment behind them. None of it mattered. Because no matter what he said it would not change what he did to her. "No, you don't get to be the concerned Father. You killed me, and by doing so you killed your own child along with me. I'm going to leave, I'm going to walk out that door and you will never see me again."

She spun, one palm opening up to face behind her, to keep him in place. When she reached the door frame she glanced back at him, her heart continuing to ache for whatever it was they lost. "If you try to find us, I'll swear I'll kill you. I've got the empathy, I'll find the power that can do it. Pretend I never existed or that I'm still dead., which ever is easiest for you."

The door slammed behind her, and with the loss of her telekinetic pressure against him, he fell to his knees. He had proved them all right, that he was a disgusting monster who only caused pain to all those he came into contact with, and redemption was much to far away to ever achieve.

Elle pulled Claude along out of the building as fast as she could, not wanting to wait and see what kind of fury Sylar might raise after her revelation.

Freedom came at a price, but it was one she was willing to save for.


	4. Tear away

_A/N – I've had a couple reviews about the reconciliation of Elle and Sylar, here's what I can say, it will happen on some level. But it will not happen anytime soon, I never intended it too. Sadly, if you're looking for fluff, I won't have much of it. But my other fics do, so give them a gander. Thank you my wonderful readers! -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 3_

_I used to think that you were pure, but now I see that you're just empty._

_Lie to me, it's the new poetry. It's the language that we speak._

_I've become numb._

_I've got to tear away from you  
I left you bruised, you left me broken  
Oh, don't try to speak, if you do one thing for me  
Make yourself numb  
Just make yourself numb _

Claude still had Peter's cellphone number in the small address book, and she had punched him on the shoulder for not revealing the information earlier. They had met the Petrelli's, along with the rest of whatever was left of the Primatech Squad at the large home of the Petrelli family. Elle wondered if this was what it felt like when you showed up at a family party, knowing full well your family was about as dysfunctional as they came. It did not help that the last time she had seen Noah Bennet, he had shot her in the leg, or that she was trying to kidnap Claire the last time they had met. Well, they were all fugitives now, and Nathan's brute squad wasn't going to care about grudges. She didn't have time to either.

Peter answered the door, and the look he gave Elle made her feel a little odd. As if he were almost happy to see her, but it could be the fact that she had Claude in tow, apparently he liked the old badger. "Come on in." He motioned, and she did. They walked into the large open room adjacent to the entrance, and Elle was not surprised that no one was in there. Angela Petrelli needed a show of power, and she swept into the room a few moments later, regal as ever. "Well if it isn't the Progidal daugther returned, to bad your father isn't with us any longer."

Elle didn't have time for this woman's games, and she had even less time to be degraded. "If you'd like, I can exit the way I came in. I was going to try and help you, since we you need it. Your own son is hunting you, and the one you pretending was your son...Pretty sure he's going to be on your tail too, Queeny." Maybe the elder woman wouldn't get the reference but Elle didn't particularly care if she did. Angela's perfect mask of calm cracked, fear twisting into anger, and making that stern face she carried otherwise. "He's dead, He went up in flames with Primatech."

Elle scoffed, shaking her head at the apparent naiveté of former leader held. "Considering the fact that I saw him less than an hour ago, I think you need to check your intel, Angela." The raven haired matriarch took a step forward, a show of power to compensate for the obvious worry she was feeling. "What business would you have with Sylar?" Elle opened her mouth to retort, not even sure what she was going to say, or if she should explain why she ended up in that room with Sylar. She didn't own Angela anything, the woman had all but tossed her out on the streets.

"She was hoping for he might spot her for child support." Claude interjected, and she pressed her eyelids shut tight, realizing she likely should have punched him harder when she had the chance. "Claude!" She scolded him, before her gaze shifted back to Angela, and then to Peter. It was the male empath who spoke first, his words a lot more gentle than she would have expected. "How far along are you?" She swallowed, her light eyes probably reflecting that this was the one thing she was struggling with above all else. "A couple weeks. Gabriel and I...rekindled an old flame, while we were on assignment together. I guess he took the meaning of that cliché a little too literally, since he lit me on fire shortly afterward." She shrugged her shoulders, her tone dripping with both sarcasm and bitterness.

The reaction she saw in Peter's face was not something she expected, he was the kind to care about everyone and everything, but for so long she had only seen him as the man who manipulated her and played on her crush for him to escape Primatech. "How are you feeling?" He said, a softness to his tone. "I'm..." "She's fine, Peter, look at her." Angela interjected, apparently not having the patience for this conversation. "Mother." He almost barked at her, and Angela's eyes widened a little before she seemed to resort to keeping her mouth shut for the moment. "I'm fine...I could use some water." The nausea had dissipated for now, but her throat suddenly felt dry. "I'll get you a drink the kitchen." Peter said, turning to leave the room.

Looking at the companionship she was left with, she decided that since Claude had ousted her big secret, he could fill Angela in on the other details of what had happened. "I'll come with you." Her tone was hurried, and she took Peter by the arm once she moved to join him. Glancing over her shoulder back at the man who had seemingly taken her on as his own, at least for the day, she smiled a little. "Claude, mind letting the Queen of Hearts know what her King did to me? And all the fun I get to have now?" She didn't wait for a response, but simply led Peter out of the room, leaving Angela and Claude to discuss whatever the would please, after he let the other secret slip.

"What did he do to you?" Peter questioned her, as he slipped free of her hold on his arm, to get a cup from the cupboard. Elle took a seat on a stool at the counter, propping her elbows on it, and using her hands to hold her head up. "Oh, you know, the usual with this lot of all of us. Resurrected me, tested on me, injected me with the formula to see if any other abilities would magically appear." He filled the cup with water from the dispenser on the fridge, then turned to face her, his face still as warm as the moment she had walked in. "So did any?"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulders before she used her new telekinesis to float the cup out of his hand onto the counter. The moment his gaze was fixated on the glass, she faded from view, and then suddenly reappeared behind him, fingers up and splayed. "Abrakadabra!" She smiled smugly, before grasping the cup and bringing it to her lips. "You have empathic mimicry?" He breathed, bewildered by her revelation.

"You think I'd be able to go up against the Boogeyman himself and walk away without some sort of change in the game? Not likely..." She left his side and returned to the spot she had staked out on the edge of the counter. Peter placed both hands on the counter across from her, leaning against it to support his weight. "He's still going to come after you, I think even with the baby...He's Sylar, he never stops. How are you going to protect yourself?" She knew what he was offering. If they had been born a thousand years ago, and Elle were some damsel entrapped by a wicked wizard, Peter would be the white knight sweeping up to the gate, a gold trimmed cape billowing behind him in a picturesque heroic moment.

But she didn't need a savior. Though it did make her wonder after the fact if he hadn't faked all the feelings he stimulated when he was captive. "The same way you do, Peter. Exactly the same way you do." She knew he wouldn't take particularly well to her refusal of his help, but she couldn't be pushed to far to care about that. "I should have gotten you out of there, when you overloaded the grid. I knew he was going to kill you then, and I wanted so much to stop him. To save the day. Maybe things would be different now..."

She sighed, shaking her head. Peter was ever the dreamer, lamenting for pasts that could never exist, changing futures that would never come to pass. Stepping on too many butterflies. "Things end up the way they're meant to be, Peter."

"That baby is going to need a father, Elle, a family. I of all people know that better than most, now. I pointed a gun at my own father, and pulled the trigger." Elle set the glass back down on the table, her brow crinkling and looking up at him for a moment before she stood. "The baby will have a family, Peter...Me." She paused and tilted her head to the side, biting her bottom lip. "...And possibly Claude, depending on how nuts he drives me in the next eight and a half months, as like, a grandfatherly figure of course..." Her tone had been more joking, but quickly returned to something more serious. "As for a father, the man that fathered him is dead. All that's left is the monster that walks around wearing his face, your parents made sure of that."


	5. Broken things

_A/N – Not much to say this chap, save for the fact that Claude is/will be one of the main characters through out the story. My friend Catyuy got me in love with the character, so I just can't give him up. 'Sides, he's great humor. -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 4_

_That wolf messed with your vision, _

_He is sitting in your kitchen as you sleep tonight._

_He will eat your young, and you will act surprised._

"_Your name...is irrelevant." _Those four words echoed in his head, possibly because she was right, his name was not as defining as his actions. He had let himself become a pawn, a piece for either Angela or Arthur to move, and in the end it had cost him something he realized he may never now regain. He hadn't lied with his actions when he held her in his arms, but the moment was unrealistic. He was not the timid watch maker, and she was not the innocent blond. They were the products of their environment, and where Elle had seemed to now fully reject hers, he had let himself fall prey to his.

Gabriel. Sylar. An ordinary, sheepish watch maker that know one even seemed to notice, or care about beyond his snow globe collecting mother. Or the serial killer, how had a lust for abilities he let run wild, that everyone feared. Sometimes he wondered now if the controlled the hunger, or if the hunger controlled him. The empathic part of him belonged to the part he aligned with Gabriel, and he realized that each part of his soul was divided into one category or the other.

Gabriel had fallen for the angel with the broken watch, but Sylar had killed the Gothic boy she brought into his apartment. Gabriel had taken the pain of her fathers death, and by default absorbed her ability, but Sylar had been the one to kill her father in the first place, causing all that pain that wretched her heart. Gabriel had made love to her in that abandoned house, and held her close in the moments afterwards, but Sylar had killed her without so much of a though to whether she was innocent or guilty.

There was only one true commonality between the two sides of him.

They both loved Elle Bishop.

However twisted or pure it was, depended on what facet was ruling him. He moved from his knees, crouching until he laid on the floor staring up at the ceiling. He remembered the sheer rage he felt when he thought she was the catalyst for this thing that he had become, blaming her for the creation of Sylar, blaming her for being selfish and not taking the chance to save Gabriel when he was all but begging her to do so. That night on the beach he wanted to do nothing more than hurt her as much as she had injured him, or at least as much as he thought she had intended too. He was nothing but a game to her, an assignment, a joke.

But when he saw her lifeless body below him after the deed had been done, he knew he had lost everything. He had destroyed the one person in the world who had never wanted more from him than what he was, whatever he wanted to be. That was why he burned the body, needing to hide his guilt, hide his weakness. That was she was, the chink in his armor. Or at least she had been, he had a feeling she was now going to emerge as the sword that would find whatever hole she left and slice right through is heart.

Where was she now? Had she gotten to safety, or attempted to fall so far of the grid that he would never again locate her. Her telling him not to follow her was a challenge, as if on some subconscious level she knew if she was hidden he would have to find her. He figured out how things worked, solved puzzles till he found their end, made them whole, made them work.

But with that thought came a harsh reality he was not yet sure he was ready to face. Both parts of him were fractured, ticking out of time like a broken time piece. How was he supposed to fix himself? The only logical answer filled his mind. Gabriel was not enough, and Sylar was too much. A balance was the only way to achieve the desired effect.

It wouldn't be enough for her. She would never love him again.

He didn't deserve to be enough for her, not now.

He rolled from his back onto his stomach, pressing the palms of his hands under his chest, and pushing himself upwards to stand again. But when he stood, this time his name was irrelevant. All that mattered now was fixing broken things, maybe if even things beyond those he cared about. Nathan was rallying to round them all up, to trap them. Peter wasn't strong enough to stop his father, he likely wouldn't be the one to stand against his brother either.

So who did that leave?

He thought about his favorite book as a young teen, a tale of swash bucklers and a fair maiden. The Prince was the villain in this one, and the poor farm boy the hero. Not in the typical sense, more subscribing to the anti-hero archetype. The man in black. The man who sacrificed everything for true love, even if he did not have a white steed to sweep the princess off her feet on. It was too late to be the hero, but he no longer wanted to be the villain. Much like reconciling the sides of his mind, he would find a middle ground between the two.

Or he would die trying.


	6. Electric shocks on aching bones

_A/N – Tinkwolfe inspired the lyrics that proceed this chapter, since she got me looking for stormy songs. Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think! -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 5_

_The perfect halo  
Of gold hair and lightning _

_Be the lightning in me  
That strikes relentless _

The day had faded into night faster than any of them had been expected, and with Peter's push, Angela had offered Elle and Claude a place to stay, at least for the night. She found some extra changes of clothes in the closet, and sighed as she pulled on the closest thing to pajamas she had been given. She hoped that she would be able to sleep tonight, even though every time she had closed her eyes, flashes of them seeing how far they could push her ability, when she was barely more than seven years old, haunted her.

She hadn't know that around the Petrelli home, a swat team was surrounding, planning on coming after all four of them. Neither was she informed of the fact that Angela knew full well what was about to happen, but felt her son would allow her some sort of amnesty. The stealth was a requirement for the team, and if one of the members would have noticed their fellow teammate was about to burst through the window of an upper level bedroom, without so much as a nod from his superior, they might have realized something was up.

Glass crashed into the room, around the black clad soldier, and Elle gasped pulling the shirt she had in her hands to cover her naked top half and backpedaled reflexively. She went to shock the man, use the telekinesis on the glass to cut him, something, anything. But he slipped the black ski mask off his head before she could react, and the face that showed beneath it gripped her with a fear more real than that of being captured. He was before her, on bended knee like a man might be if he were about to propose.

"What are you doing here, why didn't you just use the damn door?" She barked at him, clutching the shirt with one hand, and twisting her wrist to hold a ball of lightning in the other. He looked as if he were taking a moment to breathe before he faced her, as if steeling himself against this moment. He began to speak, but his eyes still stayed on the floor. "In about two minutes, this house is going to be filled with a swat team with orders from Nathan Petrelli to round up everyone inside. You have two choices. Stay, and he'll lock you up just like your father did. Come with me, and I'll find a way to keep you and the baby, hidden."

_Rock, meet hard place. I'm just gonna stand here between you two. _She thought to herself, mentally counting down the time she had to make this decision. Go with the most twisted serial killer she knew of, who had been the instrument of her own death...or stay and leave herself in the hands of a man that would likely put her through the same sorts of torture she had endured as a child. Throw her in a cage, again. Elle Bishop was not a zoo animal, not a lab rat, so there was no other choice than to go with the last man on earth she even wanted to see again.

She pulled the shirt over her head, not bothering with modesty because he had seen her naked before. "I'm not leaving Claude here to get captured..." She flipped open the celluar phone Claude had gotten her when they picked up her clothes, a pay as you go sort of deal they had thought to be temporary at the time. "Nathan's coming, get out." Was all she said before snapping it shut, knowing they had no time to spare and that Claude would make it out on his own.

"Let's go." It was then he finally lifted his gaze to meet her, and moved to stand, holding the rope he'd swung in on with one hand and opening his arm to her with the other. She hesitantly walked towards him, hugging her arms around his form as he clasped onto her. They swung back out the window, and she had a feeling he used his telekinesis to soften the blow against the neighboring brick walled building. She had to clutch closely to him, as she climbed upwards on the rope, pulling them over the ledge till they were safely on the adjacent roof. She spun to watch the chaos, peering through the windows as she saw the team Nathan had chosen , truly hoping Claude had made it out.

"We need to get to the car." He said, not touching her, not pulling. "You have a car?" She finally turned, walking with him. "A company car, oddly enough. It was part of how I escaped Primatech. It's parked in the basement level...You figured I stole it didn't you?" She shrugged, and walked towards the roof exit, stopping to look at him. "Here's the immediate notion of what went down to get you to this point of saviordom. You killed the man who's uniform you're wearing. Because, hey, he's working for Nathan, even though Swat is federal who cares if he has a family at home. And the car, well what would stop you from killing the driver? You killed me, and I meant something to you. Everyone, and I mean, Everyone is just collateral damage in your life."

He finally took her by the arm, an effort to keep her moving. He had not come this far to get caught, not to loose her to the forces of Nathan. "I knocked him out and took his gear. Left him alive." She wasn't looking at him anymore, and he couldn't chide her for anything she had said, because he knew if things had never changed, she would be right. He would have done whatever was needed as a means to an his desired end. That wasn't who he wanted to be anymore. "Would you like a gold star for your good deeds, Gabriel?"

There was such a bitter taste to her tone, he could tell she hated him. But there was something hiding behind her words, which he hoped was more than a blurring twist of her despise for him and the wrath she wanted to incur on him for hurting her. "I have a place for you to stay tonight...and then...If you want to be rid of me, I'll find somewhere safe, and you will be. I'll be nothing more than a shadow in your life, Elle."

He was so subdued, so different than either side she had ever seen. He head seemed to hang off his shoulders, as if bowed in penance for all he had done to a God she wasn't even sure he believed in. Deep down a part of her still loved him, and probably always would. She just couldn't trust him and wasn't sure she could ever forgive him. His sullen nature reminded her if the first time they had met, how he had felt in that moment, uttering for her to forgive him for a sin she had no right to absolve. But it hit her like a punch in the gut what his sudden change in demeanor. Gabriel was broken, not in his mind, not in his body, but in his very soul.

She wasn't sure she wanted to fix him.

"I don't need a shadow, Gabriel. I can take care of myself." He opened the door of the car for her, and she moved to sit inside. When he had rounded the car and gotten into the driver's seat she eyed him carefully, trying to predict his reaction before the words left his mouth. Silence. That was all there was as he revved the engine, and put it in reverse. "You can try to sleep, it's a bit of a drive. And give me your phone." She snaked the pre-paid mobile out of her front pant pocket, and handed it over, not really thinking she had much of a choice. "What are you going to do with it?" she wasn't sure she would be able to sleep, considering the company.

"Call Claude, and give him our location once we're on the road."

She nodded, and turned a body a little, so she could attempt to rest. She saw the hint of a man she had said eariler was dead, the man she knew to be her baby's father. But she wouldn't let that glimmer of hope lull her into a false sense of security. Maybe he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

A Sylar in Gabriel's clothing.


	7. The Animals were gone

_A/N –Muchas gracias to Catyuy, for a bit of inspiration. Please review and give me your input! I love it. -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 6_

_Sickness was fixing me some._

_Carved out my heart in the last stall._

_Now that the damage is done, I never miss it at all._

She awoke in a bed she didn't recognize, in a house she had never been in. The smell of breakfast was what had caused her to stir from her peaceful slumber. She was still wearing the clothes she had on from leaving the Petrelli's, but was at a loss for how she had gotten into the bed. He must have carried her. She could see it, him taking her petite form up into his arms, gently taking her to bed and placing her inside the covers. Looking at the spot next to her, she could tell someone had slept there, but it must have been on top of the sheets and comforters. He was being a gentleman.

She wanted to electrocute him for that alone.

She rose from the bed and padded out into the kitchen, finding him standing shirtless in front of the stove, his bare back to her. "You're awake." He stated, once again not making any movement to look at her. "Where's Claude, did he make it out?" Was her retort, not acknowledging what he had said to greet her. She hated this on some level, hated that were it not for their dire circumstances, this would appear so normal. Like a treat some Saturday morning after she had a hard week at work, but a man in love who was making waffles for a beloved mate would have the guts to look her in the eye. "He's sleeping on the couch again, I'd assume. He got up long enough to eat, to scold me, and then back to bed. He said logistical planning and whatever we do now....is up to you."

"What did he scold you over?" She walked to his place at the stove, her hunger preventing her from continuing to be a bystander. He mechanically filled her a plate with food, hesitant to answer her question. "Claude got here shortly after us, he took the couch. It was either the floor...or..." He sighed and turned to face her, looking her in the eyes. "Next to you. I wanted to be close to you, even though I know very well that I don't deserve it. I don't deserve any of this. I deserve to be trapped and locked up, people like me are the reason Nathan is doing this. I'm...fuck...I'm sorry."

She pressed her eyelids together for a moment, her head shaking. "Not as sorry as I am." She of course did not mean in the apology sense, but the pathetic sense. How could she have slept so soundly next to the man who killed her? "Claude scolded me because he knows why I did it, and he told me I was still being unfair to you. He went to hit me upside the head, but opted not too, sighting the fact that he knew better than to hit a murder."

She walked away from him, taking a seat on a stool at the island in the kitchen. How could she act like this was all a casual matter? "He's right. Look, I'm not going to lie to you....I'm never going to lie again, as it obviously doesn't serve me well. A part of me will always love you, Gabriel. Always. But that same part knows that you took my heart, and crushed it beneath your boot because I was a weakness you couldn't afford, and I don't know if I can ever, ever, forgive you for that." Tears came to her eyes, as desperately as she tried to fight them back. She couldn't do this, she could not break down in front of him, she had to show him she was just as strong as he was. Her voice came out broken, but it was as if she couldn't stop herself from telling him all the ache that filled her heart.

"Why couldn't you have just thought it through? Or asked me...I was broken, damaged, but together we might have been able to mend the pieces, or maybe been whole together. It wouldn't have to be like this." He moved from the stove, and she knew what he was planning to do, touch her, hold her, tell her it would all be okay. She wanted him too, she wanted him to prove to her he had changed and that everything would be better now. But her fairytale ending ended up with her body burning in effigy of the person she never really wanted to be.

"Don't." Was all she could utter, but then she felt a hand at her back. Not Sylar. Not Gabriel. Claude. There was a sense of safety that suddenly rushed through her, though she would never admit it in front of Claude. He was kind enough to take her in when she came to England, so somewhere deep down he had a heart, he was just rare to show it to her.

"What did I tell ya about makin' her cry?" He craned his head so he was looking down at Elle. "Did he tell you he's having an identity crisis, and you're crying out of boredom? Sylar. Gabriel, he's not sure he wants to be either, so I came up with a right proper fix. He's Gablar now. Has quite the ring to it, wouldn't you say?"

She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. She looked up to meet Gabriel's eyes and he looked like a child who had just watched his dog get hit by a car. Claude was trying to salvage the situation, and so far he was failing. "Did he mention he knows where Nathan's taken the whole lot? Cheerleader, Puppy, all of your furry friends? Quite a boy we've got here."

Breathing in caused her to sniffle, and her brow furrowed. "How did you do it?" His face became a little more composed and he let out a sigh, shrugging his shoulders. "Hana Gitelman." Elle shook her head, another bad memory coming to her mind. "No, I fried whatever was left of her in the mainframe, it's not possible." He shook his head back at her, mimicking her motion. "Some part of her is, and since I couldn't open her skull, she showed me...well, what was needed...to figure out how she worked. I'm wireless, much like she was. That's how I know."

"Where are they?" He gave them the location, who had been caught, all the information he had drawn from emails, top secret files, everything. She found it alarming that all this information was now in his hands, and if he did falter, if he did fail in his redemption, what would stand in his way? Who would stand in his way? She would have too. And now the two men in the room were looking to her for direction. She truly had the skill, she had worked for the company most recently, she had bagged and tagged.

"We have to get them out. Look, I may not be Peter or Claire, or the perfect little hero ideal. But this is what I know, the concentration camps were wrong...how is this any different? We have to stop it." She wasn't sure how they would yet, or how she would manage to trust Gabriel enough to let him help them. She needed him, and that was the last thing she wanted. "We need Bennet. I'm sure he'll be happy to save Claire. We're going to Texas, we'll figure out what to do and what we want to do on the way there."

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a hint of a smile on Gabriel's lips. Not the smirk of knowing terror that she had seen on the face of Sylar, or the timid look of happiness the watchmaker had. This was something different. This was something new.


	8. I wish we could swim

_A/N –Ratiing change due to some of the sensitive material in Elle's speech. MariShal, There will be a very lovely Syelle moment in the chapter after this one, so hang in there with me. And everyone? Let me know what you think! -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 7_

_Though nothing, nothing will keep us together  
We can beat them, for ever and ever.  
We can be**Heroes**, just for one day. _

The meeting with Bennet had gotten off to shaky start, as Claude had punched him the moment they walked into the modest Bennet home. Gabriel had hooked into the home computer and went to work on printing out blueprints and schedules the lock down facility had, and they had laid it all out on the Bennet dinner table. It was in that moment that Gabriel and Claude took a step back, Bennet starting to carry the torch of planning. Something in Elle pushed her to take a step forward, and when Bennet suggested she and Gabriel work as a team, while he work with his old partner, made her voice a protest.

"No. It would be better to have one of us with each of you. More even that way." The man in the horned rimmed glasses shook his head. "Elle, we send you in to get the other heroes, by the time you make it to them, and get them out, they won't be able to stop you. Sending you two in together is our only option." Weeks before he had done everything in his power to kill the two of them, and now Bennet wanted them to be a team again. His own lies had been what lead to her death, and had the greater good not been at stake, she would be doing none of this.

She would have found a life somewhere, with no powers, no enemies, no trouble. But deep down she knew Bennet was right. "So when do we move out?" Bennet shrugged, looking at her as if she should already know the answer to that question. "Now. Today, the next ten minutes. The longer that facility is standing, the longer people like you and my daughter are being treated like criminals for the way they were born. If you're ready, we go, and we go now."

It was Gabriel who held up a hand to pause them, finally deciding to get in on the planning. "When we're inside, I want Elle to stand in front of the prisoners. I can use the ability from Hana, hack the feed and wire it to the net. We can broadcast just what the taxpayer's dollars are funding. Might help keep them out of commission." Elle knew he was right, but didn't acknowledge it aloud. She wasn't giving him anymore gold stars unless she thought it was something he completely deserved. Bennet called the meeting adjourned shortly there after, and she headed back to the car with Gabriel.

She should have been more nervous, for all she knew she wouldn't survive the coming task. Gabriel would do everything in his power to keep her safe, she had noticed the way his jaw clenched when Bennet had said he was sending her in with him. She knew it wasn't because he did not want her around, he had made it apparent he wanted her as close to him as possible at all times. He did not want her walking into such a dangerous situation.

The ride was silent. It was not that they had nothing to say to one another, but perhaps that there was too much to say. Every part of her wanted to run to him, to tell him things would get better, but the fear was still pulling at her under the surface, freezing her in place. The parked about a half mile from the compound. As they approached, Gabriel hacked the feeds of the cameras, disabled the alarms and motion sensors, almost as if it were nothing. The invisibility they now shared allowed them to enter the building somewhat easily, they're hands stayed clasped once they were inside, not wanting to loose track of each other when both were invisible. The hand hold was platonic, just palm against palm, no fingers intertwining.

When the entered the main lock down chamber, which to Elle looked about as big as a foot ball field. Rows of their fellow evolved humans, only their hands exposed to the air. It seemed this was the only way Nathan could keep control over them, not cages in the typical sense, such a mechanism would make the mind a far more terrifying cage. "We have to get them out." She said, phasing into visibility as she approached the rows. "I'm working on it, I've got the feed going, go stand in front of them. Tell the world, Elle."

Neither of them would have realized it then, but what Gabriel was asking Elle to do was make herself a figure head, a revolutionary. Someone that would either have a chapter in American history if they won this war, commemorated as a hero to the cause of human civility....or a casualty, with little more than a few lines noting what she attempted to do. "Over to the right a little bit....There." He guided her, he could see the feed in his mind's eye, it was the only one he hadn't jammed. "What do I say?" She looked at him with worried eyes, wanting to get all of this over with as soon as possible. "The truth."

She nodded, and looked up at the camera, flaxen strands flowing to her shoulders. He gave her an expression that told her he was ready, and she took a slow breath. "My name is Elle Bishop. I'm 25, I like warm summer rain, and reading a good book. I had a mother that loved me more than life itself, and a father who tried too. I'm a lot like you. In some ways more than others. You see the people behind me? They're a lot like you too. This is not a trick, or some staged hoax. Your government is entrapping those with abilities that might be beyond the normal comprehension, not because these people have done anything wrong, simply because they are different." She lifted a palm, fingers clutched loosely upwards, as sparks began to fly in the center of her hand. "Difference prompts fear, in many cases. But is this the way we face our fear? Caging our fellow humans like animals. Like Hitler did the Jews in Auschwitz? Is this the truth and justice for all? How do you know it won't be someone like you next? Who will speak up for you? Who will--" It was then she saw Gabriel fall to the ground, a sudden cry of a gunshot filling the small room. She knew the feed must have been cut, someone in this room knew what Gabriel was, and what he had the potential to do.

"Get them out, Elle! I've unlocked the mechanisms on their suits." She turned and faced the people behind her, running to the nearest one and pulling the locks off of them as quickly as possible. When she tugged at the black mask shrouding this person's head, a flow of blond hair escaped. "Elle?" Claire said, eyes wide and blinking, trying to adjust to the flood of light. "Pompom. No time for reunions, we have to get everyone out." Claire nodded, and went to work on freeing the person next to her, Elle the person after that. Their movements were frantic, and in the frenzy of this situation Elle had lost sight of her companion. He must have been tracking down the gun man, so far no one else had been shot at. She must have freed four more people before coming across another familiar face, Peter Petrelli. "He kept you here?" She asked him, confusing flooding her delicate features.

"Nathan hates me as much as I love him. Of course I'm here." She finished unlocking the last lock, and helped him to his feet. "I think everyone will be out of their...suits...in a few moments. Then we have to get out, there's a hallway down the south entrance. We have to band together and find out if there's anyone that can either take gunfire, or protect against it. They take the front and back, Fire power behind them. I want to save everyone we can, and we have the advantage." Peter's eye brows furrowed, the same look he got whenever he was about to brood about something. "Shouldn't you be the one leading this little rally?" She knew she should be the one, she had just basically broadcasted to the world she would be the one. But she still had no sign of Gabriel, and she would feel wrong if they left without him. "Gabriel, he's the one that helped me get in here. He went down hard right before I started freeing you guys....I'm not abandoning him."

She turned to go, and felt Peter's grasp on her arm. "Wait." It was a command, not a question. "How do you know he wouldn't just leave you to the mercy of this place? Elle, you're needed. I could sense your state of mind with what just happened...We need you." She shook her head, "We need each other. And I don't know what he'd do, but I don't want to base my actions on things he may or may not do. We got into this together, we'll leave the same."

She heard him tell her to be careful as she ran off in the direction of the last place she had seen Gabriel.

He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to be run after and saved, did he? He didn't deserve her.

So why was saving him the only thing she could think about?


	9. May God's love be with you

_A/N – I'm pretty interested to see the reaction to this chapter, I pushed some boundaries, or at least attempted to. Review, let me know how it made you feel, Thanks. 3 -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 8_

_I remember standing, by the wall  
And the guns, shot above our heads  
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall  
And the shame, was on the other side  
Oh we can beat them, for ever and ever  
_

She found an open door on the side of the large room, and didn't have time to consider if she was going the right way. He was Sylar, he was invincible, he had been shot, stabbed, sliced through the chest with a Samurai sword and still he lived. The heart that hammered in her chest wanted no part of the logic her head was trying to feed it. She heard the low tone of male voices in a room up ahead, she did something she would later chide herself for, running straight into harm's way with no thought to the possibilities.

The first thing that hit her sight was the vision of Gabriel in a position of submission, a gun pointed at the back of his skull. She didn't understand, she had never seen Gabriel let anyone have that kind of control over him. He could jam the gun, he could melt the bullet with electricity, he could do anything he wanted too. Nothing had ever stood in his way, except for her and he had corrected that mistake at one time. She was hardly aware of the fact that the door had been closed behind her, until she felt the hand on her shoulder.

"I told my father you were worthless, and yet, he wouldn't believe me. He was near to obsession over that...thing, growing inside you." Nathan's other hand snaked around her body, settling on the lower part of her abdomen. The animal inside Gabriel seemed to roar silently, as he watched the woman he thought to be his mate in the arms of the man who might want nothing more than to destroy her. "Get your hands off me." The palm was removed from her stomach, but he used the hand on her shoulder to twirl her to face him. His mother's echo suddenly seemed so pronounced in his behavior, the manipulation and cunning plotting was all but seeping from the pores of his face, around the creases of his wicked smile.

"You made a big mistake little girl. And I can tell by the look on your face, you're quite perplexed as to why your would be murder is standing there complacent in the face of what could be his own death." He leaned forward, until she could feel the humidity of his breath against her ear, his hand still solid against her shoulder to keep her in place. "I told him if he surrendered, I'd let you go and wouldn't seek you out....but, shhh, don't tell. It's a secret he never wants you to know." He didn't know the effects the formula had on her, it was the one advantage they had in this situation. Her body ached to turn back to face Gabriel, had she forgiven him yet? She wasn't sure, maybe a part of her would always be on guard for him. But could she continue to keep him at arms length when their destinies seemed entwined at every turn? "I mean, really Elle? What's a little spark compared to his infinite power? Take him and Pete out and I don't even need this compound, I could just knock you all out like sitting ducks, one by one."

His other hand slid to her shoulder, each movement he expressed more serpentine than the one prior to it. She felt like Eve, trapped in the seductive grasp of the snake, who was whispering all sorts of venomous things in her ear, in hopes she would fall from grace. "Even if I have you both here, I can't kill you, sadly. You'd be come a Martyr, with how you gave that rousing speech." He pushed her back, and she resisted, a futile battle for control in this moment. Yielding, she backpedaled till he forcefully made her sit, as if standing somewhat level with him was not her place. She was a servant, not a king as he was in his own eyes. A failed experiment.

His gaze drifted back to Gabriel, the grin on Nathan's face seeming to twist into something more perverted, more vile. "You know, Sylar...Ma and Dad were claiming us all as family, maybe I could spin this whole thing that way...Say that Elle was furious after a lover's spat, said things she didn't mean..." He walked behind the flaxen haired former agent, his hands sliding down the sides of her arms till his hands clasped over hers, like human handcuffs meant to hold her down and enslave her. His chin settled on her shoulder, and she could see the torture in Gabriel's features, even though he was doing his best to remain stoic in the face of an admirable enemy. It was all in eyes, the way the seemed to burn each time Nathan touched her, each time his fleshed touched her own as a lover's intimated caress. "You know we have someone like the Haitian at another facility, this girl's quite talented, she can implant memories...make you think things happened that never did, replace the ones you really don't need..."

Finger crept from their grip over hers to her forearm, leaving contact for a moment before settling back on her stomach. "Elle could give a heartfelt public apology, and show a different side to the treatment of prisoners here, saying she misunderstood, the ones she had shown were much more aggressive types of evolved humans. Share details about our relationship, how she met me shortly after I found God and came back to politics, found some files I had left, jumped to conclusions...Even the pregnancy could have made her more emotional." Her skin was screaming, a chorus of nerves crying out to have his hands off her, to be safe in the arms of...No. There were no safe arms but her own. Gabriel's hands had killed her, hadn't they? Then wouldn't the need to run back into them be foolish, against all odds?

"It would be quite an amazing thing if I made the revolutionary my Wife someday, raised our darling little son together." He pressed his lips against her cheek, as if checking to see if Gabriel would risk her life over his jealousy. "Well, he'd really be your son. But if the we were once brothers, even on a fake level, what's the difference, really?"

Elle Bishop had never really been good enough, and she for damned sure had not been anyone's hero. But there were two souls in this room who would be forever broken if she did not find the strength to step up to the plate. Words of her mother, a memory that would not even persist in her mind if it weren't for the regeneration processed, echoed in the walls of her mind. 'If you're falling...Dive.' Elle stood at the precipice, Nathan's hand at her back to push her over the edge. So she jumped.

Her palm twisted and locked onto his that had been secured above it, cloaking them both instantaneously. "If she doesn't reappear in ten second, Greg, Shoot him." Nathan thought the threat would coax her back into her chair, but instead she used her defense training from the Company to twist his arm, till she was standing behind him, the angle allowing her to break his arm if he moved suddenly. They appeared in sight again, and she shook her head at Nathan's accomplice. "Shoot him and I see how many volts the senator here can endure before his heart gives out from stress. Put the gun on the ground and kick it in front of you a few feet."

Her heart relaxed when the end of the pistol is no longer fixed on the base of Gabriel's neck, even though she tries to ignore the sensation. He didn't pick up the gun, simply using his telekinesis to slide it further from the man who wielded it moments before. Killing was no longer his Modus Operandi. saving Elle seemed to have filled that former void. The gait of his walk as he came for her was a distraction and Nathan used the moment, freeing himself of her grip with a twist and thrusting her forward, till she spiraled and the momentum had her heading for the floor. If Nathan was the snake, then Gabriel would have been the wolf. The Big Bad Wolf, saving his precious little red riding hood, and the cub growing within her. Her impact was less than she braced for, and the last thing she saw before it happened was his leap forward, not a second passed before his arms were around her, shifting her body to land on his, padding her fall.

Their velocity should have slowed, but Gabriel saw the gun that Nathan was sliding from an underarm holster, and used his first stolen gift to continue their slide across the buffed concrete till they were up against the opposing wall, next he pulled a table with a thick steel top sideways in front of himself and Elle. She couldn't heal yet, he had noticed that telekinesis seems to be the only power she'd been able to absorb off of him. If he had to force Claire and her into a room with one another after their escape, till the two girls worked things out, and the healing ability got picked up, he would have.

"Why aren't we running?The door is right there!" She scolded him, her inflection reminding him a bit of the Englishman she had been spending so much time with. He held her tight against his chest, as if he feared letting her go would have meant loosing her forever. "Nathan's got six guards heading for his room, two of which have abilities...One can control and create water..." Nathan had hoped to get her alone all along it seemed, the child in her womb likely more of a treasure than he was letting on.  
"I want you to run Elle, get out of here and I will be right behind you. By your side, in time."

Her head gestured no adamantly, she came back for him, she couldn't leave him now. She studied his features for a split second, because he looked as if he was asking for absolution. She had fought against it from the moment she breathed the first breath of her second life, but something in her couldn't fight against it any longer. His hand came up to cup the side of her cheek, coaxing her, "Go, while you can still make it out Elle..." Their positioning was not all that different from the moment they met, almost as if things had come full circle. Yes, he had hurt her more than anyone ever had, or ever could, but in some ways she had done the same to him.

"I love you." He breathed, not expecting a response, figuring it was the perfect time for her to exit with the knowledge that he did. She nodded, quoting one of her favorite films, even if it was an inopportune time, "I know." She then mimicked his hand's movement, pulling his face to hers, their lips crushing in a crescendo of passion, pain and forgiveness. This wouldn't be the end of the road for them to forget the tragedy between them, but the beginning of the road that would lead them to heal. She pressed her forehead to his, as she broke their lip lock with more haste than she wanted too. "I love you too."

They both stood, a blur of emotion, as he attempted to protect her from the unceasing gunfire Nathan was giving, and she left the room. Elle ran. She ran faster and with more force than she ever had in her life, because for the first time since she could remember, she had something to hope for. Something to live for. Someone to die for.


	10. Run

_A/N – Sorry for the delay, it was a hard week for me, and a bout with writer's block made this chapter next to impossible to write. Balletflats, I totally get what you're saying, it's something that will be remedied, because I know that dear Gabe was not the only psycho in this couple. I adored your review, and everyone else, thank you for your input! The more the merrier I am. 3 -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 9_

_What if I fall and hurt myself, would you know how to fix me?_

_What if went and lost myself, would you know where to find me?_

_If forgot who I am , would you please remind me?_

_Oh, cause without you things go hazy._

She was not twenty yards from the building when she heard explosions erupting behind her, the thrust of their sudden impact knocking her off her beat, and causing her to stumble. She felt a large hand grip her arm, and relief rushed through her. But when she looked up to find the softer, hazel eyes of Peter, rather than the dark chocolate of Gabriel, her heart sank.

"He's behind me, right, tell me he's behind me." She said in a panic, as Peter pulled her along. "We have to keep moving, seems any time they try to contain us, the place goes up in smoke." He was ignoring her question, and she couldn't seem to will herself to look back at what had to be devastation. "Your brother...he was in there." Peter shook his head, his gaze still not turning to meet hers. "Helicopter left the Helipad right after you burst out of that door. Nathan made it out, I'd bet my life on it." She bit into her bottom lip, tears welling up in her eyes.

"So either he has him, or he killed him." Claire approached them, lending support Elle from the opposite side. She didn't say anything initially, which surprised Elle on some level, as anytime the two women were in the same room, the conversation was filled with sarcastic banter. Once they had rejoined the other trainees, Peter ran off to locate of the other evolved humans they knew. "We'll get him back, Elle. He's alive, trust me." Elle nodded, as tears began to build in her eyes. She believed what Claire said to be true, but that didn't change her worry. "I know...I've put him through Hell the last few days, and the more and more I think about it, I realize I wasn't blameless. I could stood up to your father, to my father....I could have saved him and it never would have come to this. Maybe we'd all be fighting to stop the people that would use us for their own benefit."

Her hand moved to her stomach, Peter knew about the child, but she was sure that Claire had yet to be informed and now was not the time. She looked at the young blond girl before, and the similarities between them to could not be denied. Blond, petite, powered. Both suffered to live up to impossible expectations placed by a father neither truly understood. Elle was about to say something, something that would start that bond between them off at a better place, but no words came. She was going to have to change, for herself, for her child, for all the people she had blindly hurt or gone after over the years. That was the true problem, she had done what the company wanted without so much as a question to their motive.

Peter came back to them, Matt Parkman and Daphne Millbrook in tow. "They haven't gotten Hiro or Ando yet, Matt says they got separated." Peter positioned himself so he was standing directly next to Elle, in an almost protective stance. "We need to move. Standing out here makes us city ducks, we didn't just win the war, that was the beginning battle." Elle said, moving in front of Peter. "Tell everyone to go somewhere safe, band together in groups of four or five, and take into account what abilities would go well together. Everyone's going to want a way to access cash, have a defense, that type of thing. It's how the company would have done it, have their powers compliment each other." Before she could finish her sentence, Matt and Daphne had gone back into the small crowd, relaying the message. "I think the five of us should stick together, the question is, where do we go?" Claire questioned to Peter and Elle.

"New York. That's where Nathan's going to have Sylar." Peter voiced, before Elle could give any sort of retort. Elle shook her head, "You're not going after him with me, this is something I need to do alone. I don't need your help, Peter, you know that." Claire's face became suddenly perplexed at Elle's choice of words, not the fact that she had denied Peter. "We want to help, Elle, you helped all of us." she breathed, moving closer to the two of them. "It's not that Claire, it's this..." Elle brought her hand to her forearm, dragging a sharp nail across her own flesh, which went red and bled for a moment, only to mend itself back together and appear as if she had never touched her skin. "How many do you think you've soaked up?"

Elle remembered reading in Peter's file that he was like a sponge of sorts, but a sponge that at times could focus that energy to mimic the powers of others. "Claire's, Daphne's....I managed not to take Matt's because I'm betting at the moment it would incapacitate me. I may have a few more, I was close to everyone in there....I'm still learning how to work this, to control it." Before she could turn to Claire and explain what had happened, and why she was this way, their companions returned. Matt had Daphne's hand in his own, and the sight of it brought a sad smile to Elle's face. They were at the beginning of their journey, she could only hope the machinations of those around them would not cause them to hurt or harm one another. Love in all this purity was something she was now very envious of, if only it had ended up that way for her and Gabriel.

"Everyone's grouping off, and heading off to the places they think will be safe. There's a technopath who's powers are similar to Hana Gitalmen. She told me if we decide it's time to regroup, send an email...She'll know and she'll help get the word out to everyone else." Peter nodded, and used his shared ability to let Matt know where he was intending to head. Maybe Elle didn't want their help, but that did not mean they were not indebted to Gabriel on some level, he had helped them escape as well. "I want to try something." He locked his hand with Elle, and closed his eyes, the connected parts of their flesh began to glow and spark. She wasn't ready for it, but Peter assumed if he could mimic powers and so could she, perhaps the projection of those same abilities was possible. His focus was more acute, lending to her the power of space and time control. It felt a little like when he had stuck his finger in a light socket as a child, a slight jarring and sting of pain. He wonder if Elle had ever felt such a sensation, or if that was just part of her constant state of being.

"Now you're ready. We're ready. Let's go." He said, unclasping his hand from hers. Peter did still feel something for her, the acting he had done back in Primatech had emerged into something more concrete since had found out about her pregnancy and seeing her now so different than the woman child he had once knew made him want to hold her hand a moment longer. The toyed with the idea of convincing her to stay away from it all, to protect herself and the baby, but something in her eyes told him she would never hear of it. He have considered himself to be the better man, but he was fairly certain she had handed her heart over to Sylar. She gripped his wrist to pull him from his wandering thoughts.

"Wait." She was suddenly gone, then reappeared with Bennet on one arm and Claude on the other. "You grab Claire and Bennet, and I'm assuming Daphne can bring Matt along for the ride. I'll take Claude. Aim for the middle of Central Park, that area with all the trees." Within moments the others buzzed off, leaving Elle and Claude to themselves.

"Ya managed to loose the boy? Oy, I knew I should have gotten you two some sort of harness that kept ya together." Claude mused at her, as she latched onto his arm. She rolled her eyes a smile coming to her lips for the first time since she had been separated from Gabriel. "Oh, it's invisible, I made one. I'm going to follow the line right to him." she then turned and winked to him.

"And we're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of OZ." She said, before they instantly blinked from the devastation, to the snow covered branches of New York City.


	11. Love, or something like it

_A/N –Eeek! Sorry about the mix up with the chapters, I posted late last night and I was likely mostly asleep at that point. Gracias to Catyuy for reading/betaing and putting up with me. -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 10_

_I'd walk through Hell for you, _

_Let it burn right through my shoes._

_These soles are useless without you._

_I'd walk through Hell for you,_

_Let the torturing ensue, _

_My soul is useless without you._

"Everything happens for a reason, Elle" It was the comfort her father had used shortly after her mother died, as if those five words would heal the gaping hole in her young heart. It had taken years for her to realize that wounds like that never really healed over, they just had less of an ache to them eventually. But she got the stark feeling if she lost Gabriel at this point, the wound would never heal, it would simply ache until it bled out. She wasn't planning anymore, she wasn't waiting anymore, she was just going, applying pressure and stopping the bleed before it could start.

Once she dropped Claude off with the others, she blinked to the offices of Nathan Petrelli, cloaked in her newly found fatherly figure's invisibility. She found him sitting at his desk, mulling over something. He couldn't see her, and he looked so secure in his place there. "Let me guess, you drugged him to contain him and now you're going to put him on trial...Publicly, of course, to show the world what monsters we all are." She was a shadow now, and she would do what shadows do best, play tricks on the minds of those caught in them.

"Something like that." Nathan shrugged, glancing about the room attempting to get a feel for where she was standing. Elle moved a little as she spoke, to keep him from getting a solid lock on where she might be in his office. "Are you really so different, Nathan? Sure, Sylar killed, that's not something I'd try to absolve him over, but you....You were going to blow up the whole of New York." She taunted, the sing song tone making it's way back into her voice as it had done the day she had met Peter. Maybe she wasn't going to be a sociopath anymore, maybe she was going to be a better person now. But when dealing with psychos, sometimes it was best to sink down to their level. "That's different, Elle. We were trying to bring about Global change."

"Murder, is Murder, Nathan. Justifications be what they may, you were still going to take the lives of millions. I bet it'd require a few sleep pills to get yourself off to beddy bye after that." She knew he didn't feel guilty, even though Nathan had often been shaped to seem much more moral than those that brought him into this world, she knew it was a lie. The apple never fell to far from the tree. "Tell me where he is, and I won't slice your head open. If you don't tell me, well, I'll just enlist the small army you've now provided me with to find him and bring everything you've brought to fruition, to complete and utter ruin." Nathan went for his gun in the drawer, and she had to stifle a laugh.

"Now you're just trying to get yourself killed, huh? Please, continue to test my patience." She whispered, close enough that he might assume she actually was saying it directly into his ear. She wasn't absolutely sure she could kill him, the change she was attempting to make seemed to be taking effect. But she would do what it took to get Gabriel out of harms way, for all intents and purposes, Angela and the leaders of the company deserved to be tried for the crimes he committed, their manipulations and games had created to some extent the monster he became. Using her telekinesis, she ripped the gun free of his grasp and landed it in the grip of her own palm.

The barrel was now pressed to the middle of his forehead, a smile on her face. "Answer. Now please...and thanks to my time with Gabriel, turns out? I'd know if you were lying. Lovely, isn't it?"

Nathan looked as if he would slit her throat right there, given the chance to do so. Perhaps he was more wretched than his mother. "Two floors down. Like you said, drugged beyond coherency. Heavily guarded, all that. You won't be able to get him out." He said, a smug grin haunting his features as the last part was uttered. There was a slight tickle at the end of the statement, but she thought it was likely him thinking she couldn't get Gabriel out. Elle simply grinned back, before knocking him backwards intot he wall and causing him to loose consciousness.

"We'll see about that." It was about this time she wished she had taken the gift Gabriel had with technology, but she knew it she might be too overwhelmed to handle it. She had read stories in Hana Gitalmen's file, and it didn't always sound like a pleasant ability to be enabled with. Two guards. That was all she saw after she made her way down the stairs and into the corridor, Nathan was either lying, or there were a shitload of men inside. That seemed like a poor move to her, she had seen first hand the devastation Gabriel could cause if he was only a little coherent.

She threw one into the wall, and pointed her pistol at the other. "Whatever the entry code is, you'd best enter it. I really don't want you to die for what you think is a good cause, but is actually one you're being lied to and manipulated about." The way his eyes widened, made her think he had likely seen her little T.V. Performance. He punched the numbers, and she still approached, her gun held at eye level. "I'm sorry about this..." She slammed him into the wall as well, not needing him to sound some sort of alarm. The last thing she needed was whatever team Nathan had put together on her tall, trying to kill her...or worse, kill her.

Nathan had been lying about the guards, and that proved what her earlier tickle was about. Not his lack of faith in her, simply his lack of preparation. And then she saw him, so pale it reminded her of the color her mother's skin was when she stared down into her casket. Her heart seemed to fall into her stomach, as she ran to his side, hand immediately coming up to cup his cheek. She ripped out the I.V.'s that were around him, hoping the healing ability he had would have some affect. Leaning in, she pressed her forehead to his, eyelids shutting tightly. "Please, Gabriel...wake up. I've got to get you out of here, your baby needs you....The world needs you..." _I need you. _Though she had stumbled and told him what she was feeling back at the compound, she had regressed and was no longer ready to give herself completely over to him.

It was still a struggle to put herself at his mercy at all.

His eyes fluttered beneath their lids, moments later easing open. He sputtered and coughed, retching forward. The color hadn't come back to his cheeks, but she did not doubt they had been feeding him some sort of suppressant that would cause his abilities to at least slow if not stop. "You shouldn't...have...come." He said in a dry voice, his throat scratchy and hoarse from lack of use. "You got me out of that Cell, consider us even, I guess." She eased him off the hospital bed, instantly being brought back to the one she had escaped from not too long in her past. His arm went around her shoulder, needing the support she could lend if he was even going to attempt to walk. "I should just blink you back to the homestead, it would be faster and less dangerous."

"I don't think...you can...the air." He huffed out, and she looked to him. The ventilation system. She should have thought that would be an avenue Nathan would use, pumping the air full of some sorto fo suppressant. "I don't care, I'm still getting you out of here."

"Aww, Elle. You father would feign that he was proud, if he were alive to care." The voice hung in the air and they both knew he the feminine, yet dark tone was. The one woman they both harbored a fear for. "You two are going anywhere, dear. I've got plans, and they involve the both of you."


	12. The best part of me was always you

_A/N –Reviews are slowing down a bit, and it makes me a sad panda. If you like this, hate this, anything, let me know. Thank you!!! -Serias_

Fate, Up Against Your Will

_Chapter 11_

_We talked together sharping a knife, _

_like killing partners for a life._

"I'm don't really think you have any say in the matter." Elle said curtly back to Angela, the anger evident on her face. The woman standing before them had messed with both of their heads, so it only proved to cause her to feel more tense. She strongly disliked Nathan, but she hated Angela. The stone fox that was the matriarch of the Petrelli seemed to be attempting to stifle a smile, hands crossed about her chest in a menacing way. "Perhaps you should hear me out, prior to attempting to show some spine now that you're powerful. I've never needed such power as means to get to my ends, so it would be in your best interest not to underestimate me."

She felt Gabriel stiffen beside her, she knew the last time these two had seen each other he was intent on extracting some sort of revenge. Elle had always felt as if she were inferior to Angela, the woman was not only older, but even her father had seemed to hold some kind of fear of her when he was alive. Bob may have been in charge, but Angela had definitely been pulling some of the strings. "What do you want Angela? And make it quick, your Son no doubt will come to soon, and I'd rather not have to fight off the security team he sends." Elle figured it would serve her better to simply cut to the chase, rather than dance around and let the whole lot of them get caught.

A satisfied smile curled upon Angela's lips, as if she had just won a game of chess against a worthy opponent. "Well my dear, you've turned yourself into something of a celebrity....The Irony of that is my Son is now working to turn your...lover...into one as well. But where yours is based on freeing those unjustly imprisoned, his is more for the body count he accrued after the company decided to push his limits." The older woman took a few steps forward, and she could feel Gabriel tense even more, but she wasn't sure if it was due to the fact that Angela was advancing on them, or the mention of the crimes he committed as Sylar. "I need you to continue to balance out the damage my son will do, using Gabriel."

Elle looked taken aback, mostly due to the fact that she had never seen Angela do something that was not in her own self interest. Yes, saving all of them on some level would save Angela, but it was apparent that being related to Angela was saving her as well. "Why do you care about the rest of us?" The woman's arms fell from their fold in front of her chest, till they could clasp in front of her. "I have a granddaughter with abilities, you know her, Claire. I may be an ice queen of sorts, but I still care for my family. If Peter ever manages to get his life together, and settle down, I'd rather his children not be hunted down like animals. I'm sure you'd wish the same for yours."

The look on Angela's face clued Elle into the fact that she was not aware how soon that child would come. "So how exactly do I do such a thing? No offense, but bringing about the downfall of your son is actually not on the top of my list of things to do, surviving tops it."

She was being honest, the only thing on Elle's mind was escape, she knew that if it was necessary she and Gabriel would find a way to disappear, fall of the grid. She would take whomever they could with her, but she wasn't entirely ready to become Angela's puppet again. "You leave the evidence up to me. For now, I'll help facilitate your escape, as a show of good faith. I'll gather the evidence, as my foolish son seems to trust me, and then you? You will be the bringer of a new age." Angela clicked her teeth together, a look of disappointment marring her beautiful features. "It's almost a pity you did that, there are others so much more qualified for the task."

Elle dragged Gabriel along with her the best she could as she advanced, her teeth now gritted in anger. "I suggest you stop the cutting remarks if you expect me to do anything to help you. Your sons, so well groomed for these tasks you're having me do...Well one would be trapped with out me, and the other would be the one doing the trapping. Maybe your bloodline isn't as precious as you continue to assume." She then pushed passed the older woman, though the exit was not as dramatic as she would have liked, due to the fact that Gabriel couldn't move as fast as either would have liked.

"Will you do it?" Angela barked, not acknowledging the realities Elle had thrown in her face, knowing they would be a show of weakness, and Angela Petrelli could not afford to have weaknesses, especially not now. Elle stopped, but did not turn to look at her, not needing to strain Gabriel anymore than she already had, and also wanting to hide the look of relief that was on her face.

"Yes."

She could hear the sigh Angela emitted, for the room was silent, and a small smile of victory tugged at the corner's of Elle's mouth. It was the first time she had smiled in a long time, perhaps since she had come back.

"There's a car down stairs, you'll find the keys hidden behind the front of the left tire. Get him out of here, I'll be in touch with Peter shortly, and therefore he'll relay what I need you to know."

"Whatever he relays, It's my choice whether or not it's for the best of everyone, Angela. We're not your pawns, anymore."


End file.
